1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lock assembly for selectively locking and unlocking a door using a key.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The lock assemblies of the prior art are typically used for locking a door or a window. An example of such a configuration for locking a door is shown in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2005/0011239 to Lurie, et al. The lock assembly disclosed in this publication has multiple parts specific to either a first lock configuration or a second lock configuration. Typically, the first lock configuration is commonly referred to as a mortise cylinder and the second lock configuration is commonly referred to as a rim cylinder. The mortise cylinder includes a first actuator and a first drive member coupled to each other such that rotation of the first drive member rotates the first actuator to lock and unlock the door. The rim cylinder includes a second actuator and a second drive member coupled to each other such that rotation of the second drive member rotates the second actuator to lock and unlock the door. Meaning, each of the mortise and rim cylinders require a different drive member to lock and unlock the door.
Another example of a lock assembly is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,444,033 to Deckert. The lock assembly disclosed in this patent includes a housing for mounting to a door. The lock assembly includes a drive member integral disposed on a plug for either a first lock configuration or a second lock configuration. Again, the first lock configuration is commonly referred to as a mortise cylinder and the second lock configuration is commonly referred to as a rim cylinder. The mortise cylinder includes a first actuator and the rim cylinder includes a second actuator. The first actuator is coupled to the drive member for the first lock configuration or the second actuator is coupled to the drive member in the second lock configuration independently from the first actuator. In either situation, since the drive member is integral with the plug, the housing must be removed from the door in order to remove the plug from the housing because the actuator coupled to the drive member cannot be pulled through the housing. Meaning, the first actuator or the second actuator must be detached from the drive member before the plug may be removed from the housing.
In addition, the housing defines a plurality of bores for receiving a plurality of pins and a plurality of springs which allow the plug to rotate when a key is inserted in a slot of the plug. However, the pins and springs are separate and distinct component from the plug. Therefore, to remove the pins and springs, the lock assembly must be disassembled which is difficult and time consuming.
Therefore, there remains a need to design a lock assembly having a universal drive member that accommodates both a first lock configuration and a second lock configuration while providing a way to detach the universal drive member from a core to allow the core to be replaced by a second core to lock and unlock the door without disassembling the lock assembly.